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ACTS OF CONGRESS 



RELATING TO THE 

BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS, 

AND 

BY-LAWS OF THE BOARD. 




-WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 

1875. 



.1157 



New York, April 28, 1875. 

# ##",### 

At a meeting of the Board of Indian Commissioners, 
On motion of Commissioner Kingsley, it was 
Ordered, That the Secretary cause to be printed the By- 
Laws, with the various Acts of Congress creating the Board 
and denning its duties. 



ACTS OF CONGRESS 



RELATING TO 

THE BOARD OF IN ID AN COMMISSIONERS. 



Forty-first Congress, First Session, 1869. 

Sec. [1.] And be it further enacted, That there be appro- 
priated the further sum of two millions of dollars, or so much 
thereof as may be necessary, to enable the President to main- 
tain the peace among and with the various tribes, bands, and 
parties of Indians, and to promote civilization among said 
Indians, bring them, where practicable, upon reservations, 
relieve their necessities, and encourage their efforts at self- 
support ; a report of all expenditures under this appropria- 
tion to be made in detail to Congress in December next; 
and for the purpose of enabling the President to execute the 
powers conferred by this act, he is hereby authorized, at his 
discretion, to organize a board of commissioners, to consist 
of not more than ten persons, to be selected by him from 
men eminent for their intelligence and philanthropy, to serve 
without pecuniary compensation, who may, under his direc- 
tion, exercise joint control with the Secretary of the Interior 
over the disbursement of the appropriations made by this 
act or any part thereof that the President may designate ; 
and to pay the necessary expenses of transportation, subsist- 
ence, and clerk hire of said commissioners while actually 
engaged in said service, there is hereby appropriated, out of 
any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the 
sum of twenty-five thousand dollars, or so much thereof as 
may be necessary. 

###### 

Approved April 10, 1869. 



6 



Forty-first Congress, Second Session, 1870. 

Sec. [3.] And be it further enacted, That the Secretary of the 
Interior shall so exercise the discretion vested in him by this 
act as to encourage able-bodied Indians in habits of indus- 
try and peace ; and the commission of citizens serving with- 
out pay, appointed by the President under the provisions of 
the fourth section of the act of April ten, eighteen hundred 
and sixty-nine, is hereby continued so long as the appropria- 
tion heretofore made for their expenses shall last. 

And it shall be the duty of said commissioners to super- 
vise all expenditures of money appropriated for the benefit 
of Indians in the United States, and to inspect all goods pur- 
chased for said Indians in connection with the Commissioner 
of Indian Affairs, whose duty it shall be to consult said com- 
mission in making purchases of such goods ; and provided 
that the said commission shall have power to appoint one of 
its number as secretary, with such reasonable compensation 
as they may designate ; and the sum of one hundred and 
twenty -five thousand dollars is hereby appropriated for the 
payment of salaries of superintendents and agents authorized 
by law. 

Approved July 15, 1870. 



Forty-first Congress, Third Session, 1871. 

For this amount, or so much thereof as may be necessary 
to pay the expenses of the commission of citizens serving 
without pay, appointed by the President under the provisions 
of the fourth section of the act of April ten, eighteen hun- 
dred and sixty-nine, the sum of fifteen thousand dollars; and 
said commission is hereby continued with the powers and 
duties heretofore provided by law: Provided, That hereafter 
no payments shall be made by any officer of the United States 



7 



to contractors for goods or supplies of any sort furnished to 
the Indians, or for the transportation thereon, under or by 
virtue of any contract entered into with the Interior Depart- 
ment, or any branch thereof, on the receipts or certificates of 
the Indian agents or superintendents for such supplies, goods, 
transportation, buildings, or machinery, beyond fifty per 
cent, of the amount due, until the accounts and vouchers 
shall have been submitted to the Executive Committee of the 
Board of Commissioners appointed by the President of the 
United States, and organized under the provisions of the 
fourth section of the act of April tenth, eighteen hundred and 
sixty-nine, and the third section of the act approved April 
[July] fifteenth, eighteen hundred and seventy, for examina- 
tion, revisal, and approval; and it shall be the duty of said 
Board of Commissioners, without unnecessary delay, to for- 
ward said accounts and vouchers so submitted to them to the 
Secretary of the Interior, with the reasons for their approval 
or disapproval of the same, in whole or in part, attached 
thereto ; and said Secretary shall have power to sustain, set 
aside, or modify the action of said board, and cause payment 
to be made or withheld as he may determine. 

Approved March 3, 1871. 



Forty-second Congress, Second Session, 1872. 

For this amount, or so much thereof as may be necessary 
to pay the expenses of the commission of citizens serving 
without pay, appointed by the President under the provisions 
of the fourth section of the act of April tenth, eighteen hun- 
dred and sixty -nine, the sum of fifteen thousand dollars j and 
said commission is hereby continued with the powers and 
duties heretofore provided by law : Provided, That any mem- 
ber of the Board of Indian Commissioners is hereby empow- 



s 



ered to investigate all contracts, expenditures, and accounts 
in connection with the Indian service, and shall have access 
to all books and papers relating thereto in any Government 
office ; but the examination of vouchers and accounts by the 
Executive Committee of said Board shall not be a prerequi- 
site of payment. 

****** 

Approved May 29, 1872. 



Forty-second Congress, Third Session, 1873. 

Provided, That the commission of citizens serving without 
pay, appointed by the President under the provisions of the 
fourth section of the act of April tenth, eighteen hundred 
and sixty-nine, is hereby continued with the powers and 
duties heretofore provided by law. 

****** 

Approved February 11, 1873. 



Forty-third Congress, First Session, 1871. 

Sec. [2.] That the sum of fifteen thousand dollars, or so 
much thereof as may be necessary to pay the expenses of the 
commission of citizens serving without compensation, ap- 
pointed by the President under the provisions of the fourth 
section of the act of April tenth, eighteen hundred and sixty- 
nine, is hereby appropriated ; and said Board of Indian Com- 
missioners is hereby continued with all the powers and duties 
conferred and imposed by existing laws. But nothing herein 
provided shall be construed to supersede or interfere with 
the duty heretofore imposed upon said Board of Commission- 
ers to visit Indian agencies and inspect the vouchers, books, 

and papers thereof. 

****** 

Approved June 22, 1874. 



9 

Forty-third Congress, Second Session, 1875. 

For this amount, or so much thereof as may be necessary 
to pay the expenses of the commission of citizens serving 
without compensation, appointed by the President under the 
provisions of the fourth section of the act of April tenth, 
eighteen hundred and sixty-nine, fifteen thousand dollars. 

Approved March 3, 1875. 



BY-LAWS 

FOR THE 

GOVERNMENT OF THE BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS. 



Article I. 

Eegular meetings of the Board shall be held in January, 
April, July, and November in each year, on the second Wed- 
nesday of^ each mouth. Special meetings may be called 
whenever the Chairman shall deem it necessary. 

Article II. 

At the regular meeting in January of each year a Chair- 
man and a Secretary shall be chosen; also .a Purchasing 
Committee, to consist of four members of the Board, and an 
Executive Committee, to consist of three members of the 
Board. 

All officers and committees provided for in this Article to 
be chosen by ballot. 

Article III. 

A majority of all the members of the Board shall constitute 
a quorum for the transaction of business. 

Article IY. 

It shall be the duty of the Chairman to preside at all 
meetings of the Board, and he shall be, ex officio, sl member 
of the Standing Committees. In his absence a temporary 
Chairman may be elected. 



12 



Article V. 

The Secretary shall give members of the Board at least 
twelve days' notice of each regular Board meeting. Special 
meetings may be called on shorter notice. 

He shall keep full and accurate minutes of all meetings 
of the Board and of the Executive Committee, prepare the 
annual report, and submit a proof of the same to members 
previous to said meeting in January. 

Article VI. 

It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to care- 
fully examine into all bills presented for its approval, with 
the vouchers for the same ; and the said Committee must be 
unanimously satisfied as to the correctness of all details, or 
withhold its approval : any bills not approved by said Com- 
mittee must be reported to the Board at its next meeting. 

The Committee shall also report at the annual meeting in 
January all bills approved during the previous year. 

Contracts and purchases made by Agents or the Depart 
ment, not under the supervision of the Board, shall be re 
ported at each regular meeting. 

The Executive Committee shall meet monthly for the trans 
action of its business. In case of a sudden emergency requir 
ing immediate action, when there is not time to convene the 
Board, the Executive Committee may be convened and act 
for the Board, which action must be reported for approval to 
the next meeting of the Board. 

Article VII. 

The Purchasing Committee must superintend all purchase 
of goods required for the Indian Department, and contracts for 
transportation, and must take all necessary precaution to in 
sure the Government against any fraud or peculation, any over 
charge for goods, or against any deception by reason of deliv 
ery of goods inferior to sample. It shall also be the duty of 



13 



the Committee to have the goods properly examined before 
the shipment of the same. 

The Committee shall report to the Board at each regular 
meeting the work performed during the previous quarter ; also 
render its annual statement in January. 

Article VIII. 

Members of the Commission, while traveling to and from 
meetings of the Board, and while detained from home by 
Board and Committee meetings, while on tours of observa- 
tion, or visiting Agencies, shall be entitled to receive their 
necessary expenses of transportation and subsistence. But 
no allowance whatever shall be made to members of the 
Commission when traveling among Agencies without the 
special direction of the Board. 

Article IX. 

These By-Laws shall not be altered or amended except at 
a regular meeting, and after one month's previous notice, and 
then only by a two-thirds vote. 



ACTS OF CONGRESS 



RELATING TO THE 



BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS, 



BY-LAWS OF THE BOARD 



WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 

1875. 



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